Crazy theory time - Genesis in FFVII Rebirth
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is just around the corner, guys. In less than 5 months from now, we'll be diving back into the world of FF7 and I can't wait! Where's the story gonna take us? What's gonna happen with Zack and his timeline? Will Genesis make a comeback? So many burning questions. Since most people's theories focus on either the main party's story or Zack and the new timeline's mystery, I would like to talk about Genesis.
While I know a lot of fans are worried about this character's possible return, I am way more concerned about what Zack being alive in a different timeline could mean for the overall story arc than I am about Genesis. However, just like with Genesis, I decided to trust that the devs know exactly what they're doing. I want to be excited and hyped about this game without having to fear it might completely end up sucking storywise.
Remember, they took characters like Biggs, Wedge, and Jessy, gave them a complete overhaul, and made them more loveable and impactful characters than they had ever been in the original FFVII. More importantly, they even managed to make Yuffie a like- and adorable character (if you've always liked her, good on you). They get it. They understand their characters, they understand the importance of localization, and they're more than capable of doing the same for characters like Genesis or the Tsviets, should they show up in the new games.
As I explained in my last post, the story of Crisis Core Reunion sets up a nearly perfect redemption arc for Genesis. Whether the devs will go down this road I do not know, of course, but it's fun to theorize and think about all the possibilities. And for Genesis' character to come back, there are quite a few.
First, let's take a quick look at all the hints relating to Genesis that have been planted throughout Remake, Intermission, and the newly shown footage of Rebirth. Right at the start of Remake, you come across a poster for Banora White at the train station. It's an ad for apple juice. This poster is spread all over Midgar and it implies that Banora exists (or existed, before it was nuked) in the world of Remake. Banora was Genesis and Angeal's hometown. It's where the Banora Whites or dumb apples, as Genesis lovingly calls them, grow.
The next big hint is Professor Hojo mentioning S and G-type SOLDIERs in a board meeting with President Shinra as possible candidates to be crossbred with the Ancient (Aerith). Interestingly enough, Hojo shouldn't have access to any G-type SOLDIERs as Project G was shut down after being deemed a failure in CC's story. Shinra proceeded to use the Project S method of Jenova gene insertion into SOLDIER candidates because it was the superior method that produced better results. There shouldn't be any G-type SOLDIERs left unless Hojo is already experimenting on Genesis and the Tsviets at this point.
It would make sense, too, since Nero and Weiss were the two SOLDIERs who brought Genesis back to Midgar after the events of CC. Coincidentally, they're also the ones who next make an appearance in Intermission, but by the time they reappear, they've already been spliced with G cells and turned into Tsviet members. This strongly suggests that Hojo has access to Genesis one way or another.
While it is said that Genesis sealed himself away under Midgar, it is also a fact that at the end of CC both Weiss and Nero were wondering whether he would agree to become their "brother", alluding to the Deepground experiments, in which they and a couple other elite SOLDIERs would be spliced with Genesis' cells, producing the Tsviets (aka the "hellspawn of G").
We don't know at what point Genesis seals himself away, for he is unconscious when taken back to Midgar. So it's likely that he had no control over what happened to him directly after the ending of CC and there is a definite time gap between him being imprisoned in Deepground and him finally sealing himself away. (I assume he's being held against his will since he had deserted Shinra earlier and had absolutely no intention of rejoining them.)
This would mean that at the time of the board meeting (about 5 years after the events of CC), Hojo is very likely referring to the Tsviets when mentioning G-type SOLDIERs and probably already involved in the Deepground experiments. He also may or may not have access to Genesis himself at that point. We can't tell.
It's unclear for how long Genesis was in Deepground and how he got away eventually, but we do know that the Tsviets were created without his consent and he also refused to help them when they asked him to join their battle against the restrictors shortly before the events of Dirge of Cerberus. (The restrictors are part of another stupid DoC storyline that you don't need to worry about. They were the Deepground leaders before Weiss and Nero took over). My point is: Genesis wanted nothing to do with them and no part in any of it.
This is important for what I think his role in Rebirth and/or the game after that could be. While the secret ending of DoC made it look like he is set up to be the next villain, I think we should be focusing more on the ending of CC and what that set him up to be: a hero. Bear with me. I'm simply saying I do believe that if Genesis will make a return, he will be one of the good guys. One of the guys trying to save the planet. An ally. And here's why I think that:
At the end of Crisis Core, having been defeated by Zack, who was able to finally make him see reason, Genesis is left with a newfound perspective, gratitude, and most importantly self-growth. He sits there, sharing a dumb apple with a friend (Zack and through him Sephiroth), expressing gratitude and respect. He finally swallowed his pride, overcame his biggest weakness, and from here on out it'll allow him to grow.
Before he is taken away by Nero and Weiss, probably into a long time of captivity in Deepground, he leaves his newfound conviction in the form of the final act of Loveless behind:
Even if the morrow is barren of promises
Nothing shall forestall my return
To become the dew that quenches the land
To spare the sands, the seas, the skies
I offer thee this silent sacrifice
The sacrifice that Genesis makes is most likely him sealing himself away in a slumber until the day the world faces another crisis. By that time he'll be ready to reclaim his pride as SOLDIER and protect the planet from a new threat.
Since we don't know where Rebirth is going to take the story, we can only guess what that danger might be that finally awakens Genesis from his slumber. I do have a few theories, though, that I'd like to share with you.
Firstly, I do believe that Genesis will appear in Zack's timeline, and not in Cloud's. The reason for that is simple. Cloud and Co. have no idea of Genesis' existence (Reeve might, but that's a long freaking shot). Also, Cloud's party won't return to Midgar until MUCH later, so them coming across Genesis is highly unlikely. Zack, on the other hand, not only knows of him but also happens to arrive back in Midgar probably just a couple of days after Genesis was brought back there.
Additionally, Zack is still on the run from Shinra. He might have survived, but that alone didn't buy him his freedom from the company. So both he and Genesis are now Ex-SOLDIERs 1st Class who harbor strong feelings against Shinra. That's quite a feat to have in common.
From watching the recent Rebirth trailers it's my understanding that Zack will arrive in Midgar only shortly after a devastating tornado swept through Sectors 0, 1, and 8, presumably killing Aerith, Tifa, Barret, and Red in this timeline. It might be interesting to point out that the Sector 7 plate dropping back in Cloud's timeline caused Shinra's underground laboratory to be exposed. Whether that was part of the Deepground lab is not clear, but it is likely. I'm mentioning this because the tornado sweeping through and wreaking havoc in Zack's timeline might have done the same. If so, then Deepground could be exposed and with it, Genesis' whereabouts. It'd be one way for Zack to find him.
Why do I think he needs to find Genesis in the first place, you ask? Well, Zack is confronted with yet another crisis. He might not be aware of it (at first), but he exists within an alternate timeline. One in which his girlfriend just died and Sephiroth probably had his hands in creating. On top of that, he is about to lose his best friend, too. As an earlier trailer suggested, the Cloud in Zack's timeline will not recover from the Mako poisoning but instead succumb to the same fate as the other Sephiroth clones, heeding Sephiroth's call for the Reunion at the Northern Crater.
Zack doing everything in his power to help his friend and put an end to Sephiroth once and for all seems like a reasonable scenario. It would also beautifully mirror the events happening in Cloud's timeline. That way both Cloud and Zack, in their respective timelines, are heading for the Northern Crater for the ultimate showdown with Sephiroth.
And here's the thing: Cloud has a party on his end, so why shouldn't Zack have one? Unless they aim for Zack's chapter to play a lot like Crisis Core, he will probably have allies of his own. I think Genesis is going to be one of those allies.
Will he be playable? Now hold your horses. Maybe, but probably not. Maybe he will only appear in one short scene to guide the freaking way. However, I think that would be a huge waste… Instead, I would like to see Genesis team up with Zack. They wouldn't have to make Genesis playable for that. He could be a guest character, too. Other characters that could end up on Zack's team would be Cissnei or Kunsel (who would need an overhaul as well, of course), or even Biggs or Jessy.
By the way, Reno and Rude are unlikely to play a big part in Rebirth, because Reno's Japanese voice actor died and they haven't replaced him yet. So Reno won't appear much in the game. The devs said he'll have a bigger role in part three, though.
That being said, I do think that Genesis will be some kind of ally to Zack eventually, and maybe even help him defeat Sephiroth on their end of the timeline. It would be an ideal way to bring Genesis back, without messing with the "actual" events of the game, aka Cloud's journey.
Of course, we know far too little to make any detailed assumptions, but I believe it's entirely possible for Zack to seek out Genesis in his chapter/world/timeline (whatever you want to call it. I think Nomura already established "world" instead of "timeline", right?). Maybe getting to Genesis is one of the challenges Zack has to face. Maybe he has to go through Deepground and the Tsviets to get to Genesis.
This theory is based on the idea that Genesis will have some kind of redemption arc, which I think would make most sense following the events of Crisis Core and it would be the best way to exploit this character's full potential. But since I tend to lean too much towards wishful thinking like this, I also tried to look at other options and came up with two more theories.
Let's say Genesis does not get a redemption arc (because let's face it, the story is already convoluted as it is, so maybe they don't wanna overdo it). Then in what other ways could he make an appearance in Rebirth or the game after that? The simplest answer: Like Weiss, as a battle simulation. It'd be lame, but entirely possible.
If they're going to integrate him into the story, though, they do have a couple of other options. One would be directly linked to Intermission's storyline. Since Sonon was killed by Nero, there's a high likelihood that Yuffie won't just let that go and you'll end up going after Deepground in either a sidequest or maybe even as a part of the main story. It would make sense for Yuffie to team up with Vincent to hunt down the Tsviets, which might eventually lead them to Genesis.
In this scenario, Genesis would most likely be an enemy, though. Due to the circumstances, it might boil down to Genesis seeing them as a threat and the whole thing ending in an optional boss fight.
I just don't see Genesis being a big part of Cloud's timeline. As I've said earlier, it wouldn't make much sense for them to come across Genesis outside of some sidequest, since Genesis is sleeping below Midgar at this point of Cloud's timeline. He has zero connection to any of the characters, and unless he's linked to the Tsviets plotline that Intermission introduced, there's simply no way they would run into him.
Another theory I have is based on a scenario that happens way later in the story: the Weapons awakening. When Sephiroth summons meteor, the Weapons awaken to protect the planet from the impending threat. But since Sephiroth creates a barrier around the Northern Crater, they fail to sense his presence and instead wreak havoc on the towns and cities. This in turn could wake up Genesis from his slumber. Also sworn to protect the planet, he could end up aiding our heroes in battle against the Weapons, either in Cloud's world or in Zack's. Or maybe even in both? How badass would that be?
And that's the whole extent of my theories. I'm not saying that any of this is what will really happen, and while I like my redemption arc idea, I'd also love to be completely taken by surprise. Hopefully, the devs came up with something that will be a thousand times cooler than anything I could ever think of. Either way, I am 100% certain that we will see Genesis again. And I can hardly wait.
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